Member of Parliament for Macclesfield, David Rutley, recently met with Team GB Paralympic legend, Dame Sarah Storey, and the Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council, Cllr David Brown, to discuss how cycling can be best promoted and supported in Macclesfield and in east Cheshire.
Disley resident, Dame Sarah, is the most decorated Paralympian from the UK, winning an incredible eleven gold, eight silver and three bronze medals in swimming, and road and track cycling events, across six Games, beginning in Barcelona in 1992, culminating in the 2012 London Games. As an active cyclist in the local area, Dame Sarah is keen to add her support to local initiatives.
During the meeting, David and Cllr Brown spoke with Dame Sarah about how best to engage the local community in cycling, by working with local cycling clubs and supporting existing events. They also looked forward to new initiatives, including the bid currently under consideration for Cheshire East Council to stage part of this year’s Tour of Britain in the Borough. There was also a discussion regarding how road safety can be improved and promoted in the area.
David is keen to champion the benefits of cycling. As a co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Mountaineering, he continues to actively campaign to promote outdoor recreation. This work has recently included successfully asking the Government to integrate outdoor recreation in the new national sports strategy, which was announced in December.
Following the meeting, David said, “It was an honour, once again, to meet Dame Sarah, who is such a well-respected ambassador for cycling. I was pleased to have the opportunity to seek her advice and support for cycling in and around Macclesfield. Cycling is a great way to help more people keep physically active and is a truly sustainable form of transport – more needs to be done to support it.”